Police in Nebbi district are investigating circumstances under which a 59-year old man was hacked to death by five unidentified assailants who are on the run. Jacky Ogwokpacu Uvon, a resident of Gosi village, Pajur parish, Erussi sub county in the Nebbi district was murdered on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 on allegations of practicing witchcraft.
Preliminary reports indicate that the incident happened when Ogwokpacu who was in company of two of his children had returned to Gosi village to collect some household items that he left in his semi-permanent house after he was chased away from the village over witchcraft allegations some months ago. However, upon returning to his former home on Tuesday, Ogwokpacu found two yet to be identified men were removing the iron sheets of his semi-permanent house.
This prompted him to make an alarm in order to alert the public to come and arrest the suspected thieves who were removing his iron sheets. However, instead the two men jumped down from the roof and were later joined by three other unidentified men who were hiding in a nearby bush and they started chasing the deceased and later intercepted and killed him.
Josephine Angucia, the police spokesperson for the West Nile Region explains that the body of the deceased was dumped by the assailants in River Alala before they took off in an unknown direction. Angucia says the body of the deceased was found with multiple cuts on the head, hands, back, fingers and neck. According to Angucia, the two minors who were in company with the deceased managed to escape unhurt after they ran faster than Ogwokpacu.
“They started chasing the deceased with some two young children of his who ran faster than him and lastly they caught the deceased at river Alala and brutally killed him. They caught the deceased at river Alala and brutally killed him with multiple cuts on the head, hands, back, fingers, neck. They threw his body in the river and took off in an unknown direction”, Angucia said.
But, Aminsi Kayondo, the Nebbi District Police Commander (DPC) condemned the action of the assailants calling it barbaric. He further cautioned the residents to desist from engaging in such developmental practices.
The body of the deceased has been taken by police to Nebbi general hospital pending postmortem. According to police no arrests have so far been made as investigations continue. The latest incident brings to five the number of people murdered in Erussi Sub county in Nebbi district this year alone.
In August this year, the body of a woman only identified as Irachan was discovered by a casual labourer buried in a maize plantation in Jupazuba village, Erussi sub-county Nebbi district.
URN.